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Fall 2011 - Game 7 Another Great Effort
Since the girls in light blue had been unable to score consistently all season, maybe some adjustments were needed to shake the team out of its doldrums. So, we shifted the formation to three attackers and only three defenders. Yes, it would expose the defense a little bit, but maybe it would work. In addition, we moved stalwart back Ashley up front since she had shown a powerful shot in practice. We had used this formation in one match previously, and it served the team pretty well. But this opponent was a very, very strong one and they almost immediately found the weakness at the top of the box. A few good passes and a vicious strike later had the Avalanche down by a goal from which they never recovered, falling again 2-0. For the first time all season, the girls in light blue just seemed a bit flat. Yes, this was a strong team they were playing, but the engine they needed just never seemed to rev up. And it didn't help matters to only have eleven players available--so no one could get a rest break.
Once we realized that "three in the back" was not going to work on this day, the formation was adjusted again, but still left three up front. That meant that Sammy, Jillian, and Danielle had serious work to do in the middle of the field. Early in the match, the three were able to control the field some of the time, but as the afternoon went on the girls became completely exhausted and could not keep up. And the amazing thing was that despite being thoroughly outplayed, the Avalanche was once again a contender in the match. The team only had a few scoring chances, but they were solid openings that just weren't finished. In fact, Caris broke completely behind the defense and keeper late in the match, but her shot went just inches wide. Steph also had some good opportunities and the team saw several corner kicks go wanting. The kicks were coming in perfectly, but the finishing touches were just a little shy.
On another day, perhaps in another season, this looked like a match that the Avalanche could win. But playing against a solid opponent with a full roster seems to be our lot for the season. Battling those odds builds character despite the game result, and it sure makes for exhausted players and coaches We still have two matches to go, which means two more chances for that first win of the season. Think snow! |
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